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Patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) may be more susceptible to Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) due to age, disease, and treatment-related immunosuppression. We aimed to assess risk factors of outcome and elucidate the impact of CLL-directed treatments on the course of COVID-19. We conducted a retrospective, international study, collectively including 941 patients with CLL and confirmed COVID-19. Data from the beginning of the pandemic until March 16, 2021, were collected from 91 centers. The risk factors of case fatality rate (CFR), disease severity, and overall survival (OS) were investigated. OS analysis was restricted to patients with severe COVID-19 (definition: hospitalization with need of oxygen or admission into an intensive care unit). CFR in patients with severe COVID-19 was 38.4%. OS was inferior for patients in all treatment categories compared to untreated (p < 0.001). Untreated patients had a lower risk of death (HR = 0.54, 95% CI:0.41–0.72). The risk of death was higher for older patients and those suffering from cardiac failure (HR = 1.03, 95% CI:1.02–1.04; HR = 1.79, 95% CI:1.04–3.07, respectively). Age, CLL-directed treatment, and cardiac failure were significant risk factors of OS. Untreated patients had a better chance of survival than those on treatment or recently treated.

Identifying biomarkers of the resistance in multiple myeloma (MM) is a key research challenge. We aimed to identify proteins that differentiate plasma cells in patients with refractory/relapsed MM (RRMM) who achieved at least very good partial response (VGPR) and in those with reduced response to PAD chemotherapy (bortezomib, doxorubicin and dexamethasone). Comparative proteomic analysis was conducted on pretreatment plasma cells from 77 proteasome inhibitor naïve patients treated subsequently with PAD due to RRMM. To increase data confidence we used two independent proteomic platforms: isobaric Tags for Relative and Absolute Quantitation (iTRAQ) and label free (LF). Proteins were considered as differentially expressed when their accumulation between groups differed by at least 50% in iTRAQ and LF. The proteomic signature revealed 118 proteins (35 up-regulated and 83 down-regulated in ≥ VGPR group). Proteins were classified into four classes: (1) involved in proteasome function; (2) involved in the response to oxidative stress; (3) related to defense response; and (4) regulating the apoptotic process. We confirmed the differential expression of proteasome activator complex subunit 1 (PSME1) by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Increased expression of proteasomes and proteins involved in protection from oxidative stress (eg., TXN, TXNDC5) plays a major role in bortezomib resistance.

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Although gastrointestinal (GI) tract is the most common extranodal site involved in non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), primary gastrointestinal NHL (gNHL) is a rare problem which concerns about 10-15% of NHL patients and 30-40% of extranodal NHL patients. Lymphoid neoplasms may consist of mature B, T and (less commonly) extranodal NK/T cells. The most common diagnoses are diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and marginal zone lymphoma (MALT), but many other lymphomas may be found in the GI tract. There are a few well-known risk factors of gNHL and some of them affect treatment. The most frequent sites of occurrence are the stomach followed by small intestine and ileocecal region. In the last 2 decades, there has been a rapid development in the diagnosis, staging and management of GI lymphoma, but still some of such lymphomas, especially T-cell ones, are a therapeutic challenge. In this review, we present clinical and pathological features of GI lymphomas. We also describe the current status in diagnosis and treatment.

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Primary cutaneous T-cell lymphomas (CTCL) represent a heterogeneous group of neoplasms derived from skin-homing T cells. CTCL behave similarly to indolent B-cell lymphomas. There is increasing evidence that angiogenesis may be important in lymphoproliferative disorders. The aim of the study was to evaluate microvessel density (MVD) as a parameter of tumor angiogenesis measured by the expression of CD34 in the skin samples in CTCL patients. Formaldehyde-fixed, paraffin-embedded skin tumor biopsy specimens from 25 patients (16 men, 9 women) with CTCL (mycosis fungoides), and 8 skin samples from healthy volunteers were analysed. The preparations were stained with haematoxylin and eosin, and evaluated histopathologically. Staining for endothelial cells with monoclonal antibody against CD34 revealed a mean number of 134 dots per mm2 for CTCL and 106 dots/mm2 for controls; the difference was statistically significant (p=0.0388). Our study shows a higher number of microvessels in primary CTCL compared with normal skin. Microvascular endothelial cells have become an important target in cancer therapy. Increased MVD in the skin of CTCL patients indicate that angiogenesis may play a role in the growth of CTCL, and raises the possibility of using angiogenesis inhibitors in CTCL therapy.